2 août 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Britain’s ‘next generation’ Tempest fighter jet secures huge funding boost
PLANS for a new British fighter jet received a major boost, with another £250million secured for the project.
25 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial
Space Force invokes Defense Production Act to prop up small launch market
The Space and Missile Systems Center will award ride-share contracts to six small launch providers under the Defense Production Act, providing support to a market the Pentagon has repeatedly said is vulnerable to coronavirus-related financial restraints.
The six companies approved by the Industrial Base Council are Aevum, Astra, X-BOW, Rocket Lab USA, Space Vector and VOX Space. Each company will be awarded sole-source contracts for two ride-share missions to be conducted over the next 24 months. The value of the contracts was not included in the announcement originally posted on SAM.gov on June 16.
Funding for the 12 ride-share missions will come from the Defense Production Act Title III funding effort, which is backed by the recently passed coronavirus relief act.
The Pentagon has singled out the small launch market as being particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last few months. On April 20, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord warned that the small launch market was one of three sectors she was most worried about.
In a later statement to C4ISRNET, the Space and Missile Systems Center elaborated on her remarks.
“There is concern that the current financial and market constraints resulting from the COVID-19 have reduced funding sources necessary to continue development and operations for the nascent small launch industry,” said Col. Rob Bongiovi, director of SMC's launch enterprise directorate. “Much of the industry have limited flight capability or are in the critical transition from development to flight and this funding restriction may prevent or delay these systems. The Space and Missile Systems Center is evaluating the impacts to the small launch industrial base to consider actions to enable a robust U.S. launch industrial base.”
In response, the Space Force Acquisition Council held an emergency meeting with representatives from the U.S. Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Space Development Agency and others. A survey was sent out to members of the Space Enterprise Consortium to see how the Defense Department could help.
SMC Commander Lt. Gen. John “JT” Thompson hinted earlier in the week that Defense Production Act awards would be forthcoming for the small launch market.
“In the small launch environment, Secretary Lord and [U.S. Space Force Service Acquisition Executive Will] Roper have both commented about how important small launch is to our enterprise, and I can't give you the details right now but I would anticipate here very shortly some very critical Defense Production Act awards to our small launch providers to keep that industry going,” Thompson said.
Sur le même sujet
-
-
10 décembre 2024 | International, Naval
French, Turkish naval companies tinker with torpedo interceptors
-
1 décembre 2020 | International, Terrestre
BAE Systems gets $3.2 billion deal so British forces can reload
By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – Munitions worth $3.2 billion (£2.4 billion) are to be supplied to the British military by BAE Systems over 15 years in a single-source deal announced by the Ministry of Defence Nov 30. The program, known as Next Generation Munitions Solution (NGMS), will see BAE produce 39 different munitions for the armed services from five different sites across the UK. Small-arms ammunition, mortars, tank shells, medium-caliber gun rounds and heavy artillery rounds are included in the delivery schedule which starts at the end of 2022. The contract supersedes a similar £2 billion, 15-year contract known as “Munitions Acquisition, the Supply Solution,” which kicked off in 2008. In return for guaranteed offtake of ammunition BAE implemented money-saving efficiencies and modernization of its facilities. The MASS contract effectively halted a British munitions industry in decline for more than 20 years. There are more than 400 munition types not included in the agreement, principally countermeasures, pyrotechnics and explosives, but also a number of other variants of small arms ammunition, medium-caliber and mortar products. The deal covers 120 mm rifled tank shells for the Challenger 2 main battle tank but not its likely smooth-bore successor. The Challenger 2 upgrade program led by the Rheinmetall-BAE joint company RBSL is due to go forward for MoD investment consideration around the end of the year. The proposed munition solution, widely expected to include a new 120 mm smooth-bore cannon, will be recommended as part of a wider upgrade approval of the tank. The outcome of the approval program will be subject to the delayed integrated defense review now expected to be released in early in 2021. In a statement announcing the new munitions deal the MoD said BAE had identified about £400 million of savings and efficiency opportunities to be pursued up to 2038. The new agreement represents the same product portfolio currently supplied under the MASS deal. The contract also includes flexibility to vary the volume of orders and allow general munitions products to be added or removed, depending on front-line requirements, said the statement. Figures provided by MoD estimate BAE will annually produce approximately 70 million rounds of small-arms ammunition, 100,000 large-caliber rounds, 40,000 medium-caliber shells and 75,000 mortar rounds. Part of the deal will see BAE invest £70 million refurbishing and upgrading munition manufacturing lines. Included in BAE's investment is the establishment of a £2.5 million smart technology pilot factory at its Radway Green, northwest England, small-arms ammunition manufacturing site. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/11/30/bae-systems-gets-32-billion-deal-so-british-forces-can-reload/